Let police have final word on Old Firm ‘decider’
GORDON STRACHAN and Ally McCoist joined forces yesterday to insist Police Scotland should retain the final say over Old Firm title deciders. With Celtic just one win away from clinching seven in a row, Brendan Rodgers this week urged the SPFL to set up a ‘box-office’ clash between his Treble chasers and Rangers in the first game after the split. But police and league chiefs have tried to avoid ‘powderkeg’ title deciders between the Glasgow rivals since the violent and chaotic scenes from the ‘shame game’ at Celtic Park in 1999 when
Rangers were crowned champions. And, despite Rodgers’ plea for a change in approach, former Old Firm bosses Strachan and McCoist believe that is how it should remain.
Strachan said: ‘It’s a game where we want to showcase Scotland and we saw those scenes last week at Liverpool (when fans attacked the bus carrying Manchester City’s players to Anfield).
‘It was a wonderful game of football and what we ended up talking about was a bus getting attacked. It was a horrible sight.
‘I hope that never happens here but it can and that’s why government and police think we maybe can’t take that gamble.
‘You’d need to ask them that but I can understand where they are coming from.
‘Yes, we want to promote the football, but the scenes in 1999 when the ref was hit with a coin were ones that went round the world. We don’t want that again.
‘Have we got better? I don’t know,’ added the former Celtic and Scotland manager.
‘But when you see the Liverpool scenes you think: “Hmm — I don’t want that coming from my country.” Nobody knew it was coming last week and if you take it for granted then something like that might happen here.
‘So I can understand why people think: “Maybe not a good idea.”
‘A month ago we sent out a wonderful picture of Scottish football with great games — Hibs v Hearts and Rangers v Celtic — and we want to keep it going that way.’
Former Rangers manager and striker McCoist also backed Police Scotland to make the final decision.
‘It is 100 per cent correct that the police sit down with the SPFL to decide when the best option is for the game to be played,’ he said.
‘That in itself is a sad indictment of where we are, but it is where we are.
‘There is no way I am going to sit here and tell the police what to do because the police see what happens before, during and after Old Firm games.’
McCoist was Rangers manager in 2012 when Celtic had the chance to win the title at Ibrox in March only for the home side to win 3-2.
‘I just remember absolutely not wanting to lose that game, like I have never wanted to not lose a game in my life,’ said McCoist.
‘That would have been an absolute disaster for my life moving forward. I mean that, honest to God! I still remember the pressure and the intensity of that particular game.
‘All Old Firm games have an intense build-up, but for that one we went out and thought: “Jesus, we cannot lose this game”. And, thankfully, we didn’t.
‘Listen, if I am Celtic, I want (an Old Firm title decider). If I am Rangers, I would look at it as an opportunity to make them wait another week to win the league.
‘The fact of the matter is, however, that it will be a police decision.’
Les Gray, a former chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, yesterday insisted that it would be too much of a risk for the SPFL to deliberately stage an Old Firm title decider.
‘(Police are) concerned with public safety and that will always be paramount,’ he told the BBC.
‘The last few games have been brilliant to watch, a great spectacle, and people have behaved themselves. So why do we want to endanger that.
‘Brendan Rodgers is right up until a point. However, let’s not kid ourselves on.
‘We all know that these games are supercharged and to make it the deciding game, whether it was 1999 or 1949, the circumstances haven’t changed and the police will always have the last say and for good reason.
‘Why take the risk of taking backward steps when it can be avoided? The game’s going to happen, why do you want to supercharge it?’
The SPFL are expected to announce the remaining Premiership fixtures today after finalising them with Sky, BT Sport and Police Scotland last night.
It’s believed that Rangers will head to Celtic Park in the second round of post-split games on April 29, giving Celtic an opportunity to wrap up the title the previous weekend.